Ventilators



M. J. JAMES y VENTILATORS May 5, 1970 VFiled Jan. 5, 1968 2 Sheetsheet 1 VIIIIIIL 1 I l l I I l IJ 1 l l l l l l l l l l x J n l l I I l I I l l..

SYM #JWM ATTORNEYS May 5, 1970 K M. J. JAMES I l 3,509,812

VENTILATRS Filed Jan. 5, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 70 DEED EIDE BUCHS- P72 DUDE] DEUD F/GJ.

INVENTOR M/c/mf dama/ f J4/145.5'

ATTO R NE YS United States Patent O 3,509,812 VENTILATORS Michael Joseph James, Charlton Kings, England, assignor to Micro & Precision Mouldings (Cheltenham) Limited, Cheltenham, England Filed Jan. 5, 1968` Ser. No. 696,079 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Jan. 20, 1967, 3,123/ 67 Int. Cl. F24f 7/00 U.S. Cl. 98-121 2 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A ventilator having an apertured plate-like back member formed with keyhole slots of fixing to support surface and a front apertured member completely overlaps the back member throughout the range of sliding movements and conceals the keyhole slots in the back member.

This invention relates to ventilators of the type which employ two fiat apertured members which are relatively slidable one upon the other to vary the effective ventilation aperture. Ventilators of this type are commonly wall mounted, Ifor example in larders and bathrooms of private dwellings.

According to the invention a ventilator has an apertured plate-like back member formed for fixing to a support surface and a front apertured member which is slidably mounted on the back member.

Preferably the front member completely overlaps the back member throughout the range of sliding movement and conceals the fixings of the back member, which conveniently has screw fixing holes of keyhole type which enable the ventilator to be removed readily for cleaning purposes. The mounting of the front member may be such that it is detachable from the back member, for example during fixing of the latter.

The back member may provide a fly screen, and for this purpose a suitable gauze may be attached to the back member or, as is preferably the case, the apertures in the back member may be of suitably small size for this purpose. Both members are conveniently moulded from a synthetic plastic material and the front member may have a side wall which surrounds the back member, with the flexibility of the plastic material utilised to allow fitting and removal of the front member. The sliding connection between the two members may be provided by projecting tongues on two opposite sides of the back member -which engage in front of inwardly projecting lugs on the side wall of the front member.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings which show, by way of example, a ventilator in accordance with the invention and designed for wall mounting. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the ventilator in the open condition,

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the ventilator in the partially open condition,

FIG. 3 is a detail view, to an enlarged scale, of part of FIG. 2, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are respectively sectional views on the lines IV-IV and V-V of FIG. 1 with the ventilator mounted on the wall.

The ventilator consists of rectangular front and back plate-like members 1 and 2 respectively with the former slidable upon the latter, when fitted the back member 2 being mounted on the wall, indicated at 3 in FIGS. 4 and 5, with its longer sides horizontal. The membersT 1 and 2 are each moulded from a synthetic plastic material.

The back member 2 is designed for surface mounting ICC and at each corner has a fixing screw hole 4 or keyhole shape as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so that the member 2 can =be lifted olf the fixing screws (not shown) to remove the complete ventilator from the wall 3 for cleariing purposes. The front member 1 has a continuous side wall 5 and the back member 2 fits within the front member 1 so that the rear edge 6 of the side wall 5 is slightly spaced from the wall 3 to allow the front member 1 to clear the wall surface. On each of its upper and lower edges the back member 2 has two spaced projecting rectangular tongues 7 which have clearance within the side wall 5 and guide sliding movement of the front member 1, such movement being limited by the abutment of the back member 2 with the side wall 4 at one or other end of the front member 1. Inwardly projecting lugs i8 on the side wall 5 respectively engage behind the tongues 7 to retain the Ifront member 1 and provide a sliding connection between the members 1 and 2.

The front member 1 has a plurality of spaced parallel apertures 9 disposed vertically and of rectangular shape as shown in FIG. 1. At one end of the sliding movement, corresponding to the open position shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5, each of these apertures 9l is aligned with a similarly shaped -window 10 in the back member 2, each window 10 being sub-divided into small squares 12 (FIG. 3) to provide a fiy screen. In effect the back member 2 can be considered as having an integrally moulded gauze, provided by the squares 12, to exclude flies and other insect pests. A partially open position is shown in PIG. 2, and in the closed position of the ventilator shown in broken lines in that figure the Windows 10 lie directly behind and are effectively covered by solid strips 13 of the front member 1 which separate the apertures 9.

As the front member 1 itself is slidable it can be moved directly by hand and there is no necessity to provide a projecting knob for this purpose. This represents a simplification as compared with prior ventilators in which the front member is xed and the back member slidable; with such construction it is necessary to provide an operating knob for the back member which for accessibility has to project through the -front member which must then be apertured for this purpose. In addition the present invention enables a simple screw fixing to be used which allows the ventilator to be removed for cleaning purposes with the fixing entirely concealed by the front member 1.

The plastic material is sufficiently flexible to allow the sliding connection between the members 1 and 2 to be made and unmade with one end of the Vfront member 1 flexed so that the front member clears the back member fixed to the wall. Thus the back member 2 can be screwed to the `wall 3 before the front member 1 is fitted, and the two members 1 and 2 can readily be separated for thorough cleaning.

Instead of being in the back member 2, the fly screen may be provided in the front member 1 in which case the windows 10 are not subdivided into the small squares 12. It will be appreciated that the ventilator can be mounted on any suitable support surface and, in particular, may be mounted on a duct of a warm-air centralheating system to control the flow of air from the duct.

I claim:

1. An adjustable ventilator comprising a platelike back member having apertures of small size to provide, in effect, a fly screen, an apertured front member which is slidably mounted on and completely overlaps the back member throughout the range of sliding movement, the back member having on two opposite sides projecting tongues which engage in front of inwardly projecting lugs on side walls of the front member whereby to provide a sliding connection between the two members, and the back member having screw fixing holes of keyhole shape "wliieh'are concealed by the front member d'wli'eabletlie'ventilator, V'when fixed to a support surface by means of fixing `screws, to be removed from and refittedo'n to the support surface without removing the fixing'screiivs; i t l 2'. A `ventilator"having `an aperturedl plate-like back memberlformed for fixing to a support surface and a frontfapertured'member, vsaid front and back members molded 'from' a synthetic plastic material, the frotaiidwbackmembers having slidably interengaging portionlsffwhich the front member is slidably mounted ,on ttief'ebacl member in, such manner that'the front .member 4isy retained onl and entirely supported by the back member, the plastic material of the members being suieiently-ex'i le that upon deformation thereof said 15 98-108, 114

, slidably interengaging portions engage with each other to permit assembly of the ventilator and disengage from each other to permit disassembly of the ventilator.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,178,253 10/.1939 `Fader d 98-7121 2,308,262Vv 1/1943 Beil l98--121 3,073,525 ,1/'1963 Cislo l98--41 '3,194,145l l 7/;1965 Robertson f 98-108 MEYER PERLlN, Primary xaminer i Y Us. C1. XR. 

